Singapore: The third edition of the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic has officially been reduced to 54-holes after inclement weather caused almost 10 hours of play to be lost over the last three days at Orchid Country Club.
Malaysia’s Shaaban Hussin, who only managed to complete his second round in the afternoon with a flawless five-under-par 65 and has yet to tee off, will head into the third and final round with a one-shot lead over American David Lipsky, Japan’s Daisuke Kataoka and Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant who are a further shot back on matching 132s.
With thunderstorms and lighting threats forcing play to be suspended twice on Saturday, officials were left with no choice but to abandon play for the day.
“The tournament has been affected by several lengthy delays and suspensions due to inclement weather throughout the week. As a result of the delays and the disruptions that we have suffered, we have taken the decision to reduce the tournament to 54 holes,” said Fritz Katzengruber, Tournament Director, Asian Tour.
Shaaban, who was among the 12 players who have yet to tee off for their round, was clearly prepared for the week’s challenges.
“I think for professional golfers like us, we should be prepared for anything that may happen during the tournament. I just have to focus on my game,” said the Malaysian
Lipsky, who is searching for his second Asian Tour win in two months, is also focused on another grandstand finish despite the reduction in the number of holes this week.
“Ideally, I would like to play 72 holes but we’ve no control over the weather and I’m just going out there to prove that I can play my best this week,” said the Korean-American rookie, who earned his career breakthrough at the HANDA FALDO Cambodian Classic in March.
Meanwhile Salvador, who narrowly missed out on his maiden win at two ISPS title-sponsored events (HANDA FALDO Cambodian Classic & ISPS Handa Singapore Classic) when he lost in the play-offs, received a welcome boost in the form of a US$1,000 cheque from Dr. Haruhisa Handa, Chairman of ISPS, who arrived in Singapore to grace the event.
Handa hopes that his small token will provide Salvador with the added motivation of erasing the heartbreak of two play-off defeats and make his way into the winner’s circle.
“It’s my humble gesture to Salvador and I hope that he will not be too disheartened with the losses. Instead he will continue to put in the hard work and aim for that win this week,” said Dr. Handa.
Salvador was six-under through one hole when play was abandoned for the day.
The ISPS Handa Singapore Classic will be beamed live to a world-wide audience on the Asian Tour’s global television platform as well as on Singapore’s MediaCorp Channel 5 during the weekend rounds.
By Indian Sports News Network
